DENSO's Technology Meets Sports: Pioneering Safety in Rowing

Rowing is a sport where competitors use oars to navigate a designated course on the water, racing to achieve the highest ranking.

It is a straightforward sport with teams competing to reach the finish line as quickly as possible. Yet watching rowers accelerate across the water as if powered by an engine, is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The beauty of perfectly synchronized strokes is, without a doubt, one of the true highlights of rowing.

DENSO's women's rowing team is a powerhouse that has achieved the remarkable feat of placing in the All-Japan Championships (renamed to Japan Rowing Championships in 2023) for 23 consecutive years, the nation's most prestigious competition.

For 13 consecutive years, they have sent athletes to represent Japan in international competitions such as the Olympics and World Championships.

Due to the nature of rowing—where athletes face backward as they row—there is a risk of collisions with tetrapods (wave-dissipating concrete blocks) or other boats. Since practice often occurs on winding rivers without marked lanes, there is also a constant concern about straying off course.

What kinds of concerns do rowers actually face out on the water? Kaho Onishi, vice-captain of DENSO's rowing team, shares her thoughts:

"I feel anxious when I'm on unfamiliar courses during training camps or competitions because I can't always tell where the shore is. It takes a considerable amount of time to get used to the course at training sites, and spending that time can decrease our practice efficiency," says Onishi.

To address these challenges, DENSO developed the boat support app.

Shiyu Ukihara from the Advanced Testing & Evaluation Division is an engineer involved in the app's development. He explains, "To prevent course deviations, we developed an app that displays the boat's current position within the course. It assesses in real time the direction the boat is heading, providing alerts just before a potential deviation and warnings if a deviation occurs, making the athletes aware."

Additionally, to detect potential course deviations in advance based on the boat's speed and distance traveled, it is essential to accurately calculate the stroke rate, which indicates how many strokes are taken per minute. For athletes, monitoring how this rate changes from the start to the finish line is a crucial metric.

While existing boat support tools include stroke rate calculation, the underlying software is not publicly available. Ukihara reflects, "We started from a point where we had no idea what input information was used or how the calculations were made to produce the results."

"Accurately calculating the stroke rate became a significant challenge in developing the app. We compared the data collected from athletes using the app with their feedback. By aligning the stroke rate figures with the athletes' experiences, we improved the accuracy of the stroke rate values," Ukihara explains.

Behind the development of the boat support app lies a deep connection between DENSO's Advanced Research and Innovation Center and the rowing team.

DENSO's rowing team began its activities in 1991, with the establishment of the DENSO Advanced Research and Innovation Center (then known as DENSO Fundamental Research Center). Since its inception, the team has operated under the slogan Developing the Sport Academically. Regarding the history of the relationship between the two entities, head coach Kazuaki Mimoto shares:

“We have always had a culture of leveraging the expertise of engineers from the Advanced Research and Innovation Center to gain technical support for our projects. In the past, we have provided support by applying DENSO’s hardware technology to quantify athletes’ movements during training on land. This time, as a new challenge, we are undertaking initiatives that utilize software technology for support.” says Mimoto.

Even for those accustomed to it, rowing backward can be intimidating. Mimoto expresses the desire to create an environment where athletes can train comfortably and confidently. This project began as a collaboration between the rowing team and engineers, but he reflects on the various challenges faced during the development process.

"One of the challenges was figuring out how to convey the ideas in my mind about something that currently doesn't exist to engineers unfamiliar with the sport. I didn’t understand the technology behind creating an application, so I found it incredibly difficult for people from different fields to communicate solely based on images and concepts," Mimoto shares.

To bridge the gap between engineering and rowing, engineer Shiyu Ukihara frequently visited the practice site, gathering feedback from the coach and athletes. He focused on improving the calculation methods for stroke rates and enhancing screen readability through on-site modifications.

Ukihara remarked that by being on the boat, he could experience the anxiety of not seeing the direction of travel and feel the speed firsthand. He emphasized that this close collaboration with the rowing team contributed to the rapid development of the application.

"From the very early stages, when specifications were still undecided, we listened to the voices of the coach and athletes, created prototypes, and continuously improved the app based on their actual usage. I believe our close collaboration with the end users during the development process was incredibly significant," says Ukihara.

Mimoto nodded in deep agreement, expressing the rowing team's unique perspective, "I see Ukihara as a member rowing alongside us," highlighting the trust and strong relationship developed through collaboration.

What impact does the boat support app–created through collaboration between the rowing team and engineers–have on the sport? Mimoto shares his outlook, suggesting that being able to monitor stroke count and speed in real time could sharpen the focus of rowing.

“In the past, we used analysis tools, but we could only review the data after practice sessions. However, DENSO’s boat support app provides real-time information, allowing us to understand instantly how our movements impact the boat’s behavior. While it remains to be seen if athletes can process this information in real time, it certainly allows for more detailed analysis compared to the broad overviews we used to rely on after practice,” says Mimoto.

Additionally, Onishi envisions how instant feedback could impact athletes’ rowing styles moving forward.

“I started rowing in high school, but honestly, I wasn’t paying much attention to data back then—I only had a rough idea of what was happening. Being able to see precise numbers could completely change how we approach rowing styles and training. If young students start becoming data-conscious, I think we’ll see some really fascinating athletes emerge, and that makes me incredibly excited” says Onishi.

The biggest strength of DENSO's boat support app is its ability to share the boat's real-time position and potential course deviations. This not only helps avoid risks such as collisions with tetrapods or other boats but is also expected to contribute to enhancing the appeal of rowing as a spectator sport.

Rowing competitions often take place in expansive areas like rivers and seas, making it challenging for spectators on land to follow the race in real time. Mimoto noted, “In local competitions, we haven’t yet elevated the experience to a level where spectators can fully enjoy it.” He suggested that “if spectators could track the race on their smartphones, it could become as engaging as popular urban sports.

Boats more than two kilometers away are impossible to see with the naked eye. However, if spectators in the stands could use this app, they would be able to track the position and movement of their favorite team, enhancing their sense of immersion. I believe that by leveraging DENSO’s boat support app, we can increase the excitement of rowing as a game and enhance its appeal as a sports content,” said Mimoto.

The feature of immediate location tracking offers two key benefits: 1) supporting the safety and confidence of athletes, and 2) enabling real-time viewing for spectators. The boat support app is undergoing testing and improvement by DENSO’s rowing team.

The app was also showcased at an internal exhibition and gained significant feedback from several employees. Ukihara, who attended as a presenter, gained numerous insights for practical implementation.

"Many people didn't even know about the rowing club, so we heard a lot of surprised statements like 'Oh, so you're doing these activities and research development!’” We received a lot of suggestions for potential applications, such as from employees involved in triathlons who said, ‘It would be great if we could see our position and the positions of nearby athletes in the water.’ We also received a great deal of feedback suggesting the app could be used in various sports like cycling and marathons,” said Ukihara.

One of the key attractions of rowing is the sense of unity as the crew synchronizes their efforts and moves towards the goal. Likewise, DENSO’s rowing team and engineers are united in their mission to support athletes with advanced technology, creating an environment where they can compete with confidence. With DENSO’s technology, we aim to contribute to the advancement of sports competitions.